Tuesday after the Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity Sunday
Posted on September 27, 2022 by under
Scripture: St. Luke 10:38-42 (NKJV)
10:38 Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.”
41 And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. 42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”
Devotion
This story of Mary and Martha also illustrates the proper understanding of God’s Word and pious works for His people. Martha believed, but she had become distracted with misconceptions about her work. She thought she was doing good work for the Lord, but her focus was on “me”. “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? …tell her to help me.” Martha was trying to dictate her own terms for how she would serve. But her ideas were not the Lord’s ideas.
Sometimes Satan tries to seduce us with wicked works, but other times he can be just as effective by misleading us with “pious” works. Both are bad if they make us focus on our own wants and expectations more than what Jesus actually says in His Word. God prepares our righteous works for us. He is the One who calls us to our godly vocations. Sometimes He tells us to speak, or do certain works; other times He tells us to be still, to rest, and to learn. But all of it must be done in submission to His will, not ours.
It is not always easy to know what we ought to do in some situations. The Word of God does condemn laziness (e.g., Matt. 25:26), but it also condemns being a “busybody” who grabs at work that is not one’s to do (e.g., 1 Pet. 4:15). That is why we need to hear and learn from Him, so that we may better understand the difference.
Prayer: O Lord, we beseech Thee, let Thy continual pity cleanse and defend Thy Church; and because it cannot continue in safety without Thy succor, preserve it evermore by Thy help and goodness; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
